ARLINGTON — The tempo and flow of a lasso celebration, Rangers first baseman Jake Burger explained Monday night, is critical to the quality of the act. That’s why, when he reached second base after he drove in the go-ahead run to kickstart an important series vs. a division rival, he put some serious oomph into it with his hips.
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“I think,” Burger said, “the rhythm really matters.”
There’s a rhythm to cowboy-themed gestures, it turns out, just like there’s a rhythm to a good victory. The Rangers certainly caught one in Monday’s 2-1 win vs. the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field. There was an on-point starter, timely hits and a drama-free bullpen, three things that the Rangers couldn’t align simultaneously vs. the Cincinnati Reds this weekend and will need in their next five games against the reigning American League West champions and reigning World Series champions.
“It’s always kind of hard-nosed baseball against Seattle every time we play them, right?” Burger said. “Tonight we got the better of them. These games are fun to play.”
That’s certainly one way to describe what’s been a relative slog against the Mariners for the last two years. The Rangers were 6-20 against the Mariners since the start of the 2024 season prior to Monday night overall and performed even worse win percentage-wise at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park.
Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob Degrom delivers during the first inning during the second inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field on Monday, April 6, 2026, in Arlington. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)Right-hander Jacob deGrom, in his 250th career start, pitched five innings of one-run ball despite a case of knee discomfort. The lone run he allowed came at the end of a 12-pitch at bat vs. catcher Cal Raleigh in the top of the first inning. The Rangers tied the game in the bottom of that frame and scored the go-ahead run with two outs in the sixth and now lead the AL with a .304 average in those scenarios. The bullpen combined for four scoreless innings and capped it with a four-pitch save from right-hander Jakob Junis who, as the club continues to evaluate the back end of its bullpen, might’ve pitched his way into closer consideration.
It’s the type of formula that can lead to success in any three-game series vs. the Mariners in which runs will be at a serious premium. Monday’s duel between deGrom and right-hander Logan Gilbert was the first of three high-level matchups. On Tuesday, right-handers Nathan Eovaldi and George Kirby will start opposite each other, and on Wednesday, left-hander MacKenzie Gore and right-hander Bryan Woo are scheduled to start. Each of the six starters has made at least one All-Star team.
Don’t get us started about the Los Angeles Dodgers, whom the Rangers will play Friday, and their trove of talent.
No, seriously, don’t get us started.
“We lost a couple in a row,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “It’s nice to come back and get a win against a tough pitcher, a tough team. So, you know, celebrate today and try to win tomorrow. I’m not looking ahead too far — I’m definitely not looking to LA yet — because we’ve got a really tough game tomorrow.”
They’ve got a tough system to beat if it can all click as it did Monday night. The quartet atop the Texas lineup provided each of the team’s runs. Left fielder Wyatt Langford doubled down the left field line vs. Seattle right-hander Logan Gilbert in the first inning and scored on a single from shortstop Corey Seager one at-bat later. In the sixth, Gilbert’s last frame, Seager singled, advanced to second base on a wild pitch and scored the go-ahead run when first baseman Jake Burger slapped a 106.7 mph double over left field Randy Arozarena’s head.
Jake Burger gives the Rangers the lead in the 6th with an absolute LASER of a double to left💥
— SportsDay Rangers (@dmn_rangers) April 7, 2026
(via @Rangers | #AllForTX)pic.twitter.com/xvoOWOgyEr
Burger stood at second base, turned to the dugout and swung his hips back and forth while he tossed an imaginary lasso. Seager, who reached base twice and had ample opportunity to partake in the club’s new celebration, didn’t chuck an invisible rope into the air despite some apparent pleas from the dugout.
“We’re slowly talking him into it,” Burger said. “I don’t know how much rhythm is going to be behind it if he does.”
There was enough in Monday’s win to go around.
It could have serious legs — or hips — if it can be replicated.
Texas Rangers pitcher Jakob Junis celebrates with first baseman Jake Burger after the final out of a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners in a baseball game at Globe Life Field on Monday, April 6, 2026, in Arlington. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.